Harder to Breathe
by OncomingBadWolf
Summary: When Rose develops asthma it becomes apparent that running for her life is going to become a lot more difficult. The Doctor’s not sure he can risk putting her life in that much danger. -- A Tenth Doctor and Rose story. Set series Two. --
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Doctor Who in any way, shape, or form. _

_Summary: When Rose has trouble breathing, and develops asthma, it becomes apparent that running for her life is going to become a lot more difficult. And the Doctor's not sure he can risk putting her life in that much danger. No spoilers. Set series two. 10Rose._

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It was night. The only light came from the two moons that shone high above, with a glistening of few twinkling stars scattered around the full circles. Not for the first time Rose Tyler found her feet pounding the dried dirt ground, as she once again was sent running for her life. This time across a dried up desert. Like always, her hair was falling about her face, her eyes set out in front, searching for her target – the finish line – the TARDIS. She could hear and see the Doctor's feet pounding just a few steps in front of her.

However, unlike the countless other times she had been sent running for her life, Rose was a lot more aware of the tight clinching pain in her chest. It squeezed at her lungs and made the battered breaths enter her mouth with much more force and with much more strength needed than what she was used to. The pain wasn't just the usual cry of '_Stop running, this is exhausting!_ ' but more of a pain squeezing up her lungs and telling her if she ran on for much longer it would soon become impossible for her to keep her legs going for much longer.

She slowed. She had to; her breaths were becoming erratic. Vaguely, she heard it. The thing they were running from. An alien species with a similar form to hedgehogs, only not as cute, and about thirty times their size. She had slowed to something of a fast jog now, and the Doctor had noticed. He was several meters in front and when he turned and when he saw how much her running speed had decreased he let out a yell for her to speed up.

She tried. She really did. He seemed angry that she had slowed. He wasn't used to it, and, quite frankly, neither was she. She wasn't used to this new terrible pain in her chest either, like her windpipe was closed in and her lungs were about to explode. She wasn't used to her breathing being this erratic and out of place, trying to suck in all the oxygen but only making the pain worse.

When she could only increase her speed a little she looked back to find the giant hedgehog alarmingly close. A hand cupped hers and she saw the Doctor pulling her along, his face heavy with fear, concern and slight confusion at her slowing pace. He pulled her along, making it impossible for her to even contemplate giving in to the stinging hurt in her chest. Her legs moved onwards, and her heartbeat continued to get faster, her chest got tighter and tighter, and the feeling that she was breathing through a very tight straw intensified.

As that feeling that she was about to collapse took hold – despite having the Doctor's firm grip in her hand – she finally saw a blue box a hundred yards in front of them. She almost cried out; never so relieved to see the TARDIS in her life! After she had managed to push herself those extra few steps, they met Time machine, and the Doctor pushed Rose inside, before throwing himself in and slamming the door behind him.

As soon as she was inside Rose didn't even get into the main part of the control room before falling to the ground and clutching her hand to her chest, breathing heavily and shallow. The Doctor turned from the door and looked to her, about to give her their large, and customary 'Yay, we didn't die!' hug. But his face switched quickly from happy relief to concern when he saw her sitting on the grating with her breathing quick, heavy and shallow.

"Rose?" He bent quickly down beside her touched her back, rubbing it up and down, staring at her fearful face, as she breathed heavy. "Rose, listen, slow down. Deep breathes. I know it's hard but you need to slow the breathing," he told her calmly. "Come on, big, deep breathes. In through the nose."

Rose looked at him, and her breathing stopped suddenly. She nodded and took a long inhale of air, and then let it slowly back out again. The Doctor nodded encouragingly as she did it again. "That's it," he whispered. She did it once more, breathing in deeply through the nose and letting it out steadily through her mouth. He nodded, "Keep doing that." The Doctor squeezed her hand tightly, before reluctantly getting up. "I'll be right back, just keep doing that, okay?"

He didn't wait for her to reply, and was up and running to a place she couldn't see. Rose continued the deep breaths, and to her relief it didn't take long for the Doctor to reappear. He had a stethoscope wrapped around his neck, the earpieces plugged firmly into his ears. She smiled weakly through her breathing. "Proper doctor… you," she managed to gasp out.

He hushed her to silence and returned the weak smile before scooping her up into his arms and taking her to the couch by the controls. He laid her down gently and urged her deep breathing on as he pulled up her top and pressed the diaphragm to her chest. She winced as the cold metal touched her skin, causing another sharp pain in her chest, to which her breathing let out roughly with a wheeze.

"Sorry," the Doctor whispered. He moved the diaphragm up and down her chest, slight frown tugging on his features as he told her when to breath in and out. Frown still in place, he took off the stethoscope and put Rose's top back down, scratching his head in apparent wonder.

"What is it?" Rose whispered. Her breathing was getting slightly better, she noticed, and the pain wasn't so bad.

The Doctor looked at her. "Any breathing difficulties before?" he asked. Rose thought for a moment, but then simply shrugged and shook her head. The Doctor sighed and absentmindedly stroked Rose's hair as he leaned closer to her, looking into her eyes. "You have asthma," he told her surely.

She stared at him, her breathing still a little heavy; sure she must have misheard. "I've got what?"

"Asthma," he repeated. "A chronic condition involving the respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucus that –"

"Yeah," she interupted. "I know what it is. I just…" She stared at him, shaking her head. "I don't have asthma… I've never had trouble breathin' before."

"Well, you do now," the Doctor said gently. "There are lots of different triggars that can set off asthma. Running's one of them and –"

"But we're always runnin'!" Rose protested, interupting the Doctor and sitting slightly, causing a sudden pain to stab at her chest.

"Calm down Rose," the Doctor said, gentley pushing her back down.

"But, how can I have asthma… just get it all of a sudden? I never had it before…" Rose muttered, calmer but confused.

"You don't need to, it can affect anyone at any age," the Doctor replied. "Probably a reaction to something in the air on that planet brought it on, and the running just triggared it properly. Anyway, I think I've got something for it. Just carry on taking the deep breaths. Be back in a tick." Before Rose could protest he had disapeared again. She sighed deeply, breathing as steady as she could.

Again, it wasn't long before he reapeared. He had a small blue instrament in his hand, an L-shaped tube with a button at the top, which she recognised as an inhailer. She took it and pressed down the top button, breathing in the air that was released. "Better?" he asked, after she had done it twice. Rose nodded, looking away froom him.

She sat up. "I'm 'right now," she told him firmly. He let her get up, now her breathing was near normal. She sat on the sofa, gave a sigh, and looked up at the Doctor, shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

The Doctor frowned at her, " Why?"

She shrugged, "Trouble I'm givin' you."

He smiled, "No trouble Rose. Why, looking after you? That's just part of the deal."

She nodded and stood up and rubbed her eye tierdly, "Right, well I think I'm gonna go to bed."

The Doctor nodded, "Okay." Then he sudenly remembered something, "Oh! Wait, take this." He handed her the inhailer. She stared at it for a moment, regarding it warily. "Go on," he urged. "Just in case."

She took it relutantly and headed off down the corridor without another word. The Doctor watched her go.

Of course it wasn't at all unusual for them to get into a bit of danger on their travels – anything but – yet he couldn't dismiss the idea that this time it had been _because_ they had ran that Rose had gotten hurt. He hoped it had just been something in the air on that planet, perhaps something that maybe humans were allergic to, and Rose had merley triggared the asthma attack off properly by running… but if it was something else. If it had given her the illness for good… no matter how common it was, it was not a good thing when their lifestyle was considered. A main part of it involved running.

What if he was putting Rose in danger? What if she had another attack… and it was worse? What if he wasn't there next time? What if he lost her-?

No; he quickly shook that thought from his mind. Although looking on it, if she was in more danger than before with this life they were living, he might have to reconsider... everything.

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_Reviews are really sweet, thanks._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Nor do I have any money so if I were you I wouldn't even bother to try and sue._

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Rose had a troubled sleep that night. More than once she woke with a horribly tight feeling in her chest. On the forth time this happened she sighed, but reluctantly picked up the inhaler from her bedside table. She used as she had before, noticing immediately that it was much louder than she had thought, and hoping against hope that the Doctor didn't hear. The last thing she wanted was for him to come in, worrying.

When he didn't come, she put the inhaler back and fell back down into bed with a heavy sigh. She hoped this wouldn't be persistent; the asthma was just getting plain annoying if she was honest. Then again, she was sure it was just a reaction to that stupid planet, and would disappear soon enough. That thought in mind, Rose fell back onto the pillow and fell into slumber for the fifth time that night.

--

She awoke the following morning, earlier than she was used to and feeling groggy as well as a little woozy, but happy to see her breathing wasn't nearly as bad as last night. Perhaps it really had just been a reaction to that planet they'd visited, she decided. This thought elated her considerably, and despite her worn exterior and she dressed quickly before heading out of her bedroom into the TARDIS corridor.

The Doctor was in the control room when she entered, although she didn't see him at first. He was under the grating, his head bent as he worked on some maintenance to the TARDIS. She went over and leaned against the central column, looking down into the grating and grinning at the Doctor.

"Mornin' there," she greeted. His head shot up startled, and banged against the side grating, letting out a yelp. "Oh! Sorry," said Rose quickly. "Are you alright?"

He looked up at her, rubbing his head but still managing to smile through his pain. "I'm fine. You're up early," he commented.

"Am I?" Rose said.

"Sleep okay?" he asked, bending back down and getting out his sonic screwdriver – pain in his head clearly all gone. "No breathing trouble?"

Rose hesitated for a second. "No, slept fine." The Doctor glanced up at her; had he caught up on her hesitation? If he had he didn't mention it, and bent back down to work. Rose crouched down by his head. "So c'mon, where're we goin' today then?"

"Well, before we go anywhere I am intent on fixing this little glitch the TARDIS has, but that should only take a few hours. Then we're free to go wherever we desire," the Doctor told her, looking at her with a grin filling his features.

"And where might that be?" Rose asked.

"Well," the Doctor began, stretching the word. "I think I know a place you'll just love. It's a tourist planet called Harpeni Irosi; it's totally full of life, and the people there make a very fine ice cream sundae! One of the best places to go when you're looking for a holiday."

"Holiday?" Rose repeated.

"Yep, I thought we'd give ourselves a small break from the monsters for a while," the Doctor said, as he pointed the sonic screwdriver at a part of the TARDIS, hard at work so slightly distracted.

"Never thought you were one to take time off," Rose said playfully.

"Oh, well then I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I'm just looking for a quiet life," the Doctor replied, sparing her a glance and smile with it.

Rose grinned, tongue poised between her teeth, "Nope, couldn't believe that."

The Doctor grinned at her, before setting back to work, his brow furred in concentration as he fumbled with wires and screws along with sonic screwdriver.

Rose watched him for a while before disappearing through the TARDIS corridors. Walking through the long hallways, past door after door, she wondered, not for the first time, just how big the TARDIS really was. She knew it was several storeys high, and she had gotten lost many times in the Time machine, but just how big and how far it expanded, she doubted even the Doctor knew for sure.

She soon found herself in the arched doorway of the TARDIS library. It was a huge room, with masses of high bookshelves, which stretched to the ceiling, as far as the eye could see. Here and there, there were small tables with armchairs perched around them, a place of which to sit at and enjoy a book. Rose knew the Doctor spent a lot of time in the library, and she, herself, also could spend several hours in the room. It smelt of old paper and spilt ink; she loved that smell.

Idly, Rose walked over to the first shelf she saw and ran her finger over the book ends, reading them and thinking that as long as they were stuck in the TARDIS for a few hours she might as well use that time to enjoy a good book. Her finger went over countless titles, some of which were too alien to even translate properly into English. After a good search Rose finally found a nice English fiction book that might interest her.

It looked old, but no overly dusty on the outside, so that was why, when Rose settled down in one of the armchairs to read it, she got a bit of a shock when she opened it and a cloud of dust fell about the air. Rose coughed twice after breathing in the air and brought the book at arms length, watching the dust cloud around it scatter and float about. The short coughs turned slightly wilder and she a now familiar tightness in her chest narrowed her airway.

Damn, she cursed herself, as she tried the slow breaths the Doctor had ordered before. To be honest though, all that seemed to do was make it worse, by breathing in the dusty air. She dropped the book to the floor and stood up, making a fast retreat out of the library. Her room was in plain sight, even though she hadn't seen it there before, and she wondered if the TARDIS had moved it there for her benefit.

As soon as she was inside, she went over and took her inhaler between battered breaths. The odd taste that hit the back of her mouth was a welcome relief, her breathing was getting better, although the coughing didn't seem to want to stop. She cleared her throat twice, trying to get rid of the tingling in her airways, but just ended up having a coughing fit, inhaler clenched tightly in her right hand. Unfortunately – in her opinion – the Doctor chose that moment to enter through the open door of her room.

"Fixed it! Not as difficult as I thought, so we'll just – Rose, are you okay?" He went over to her, noticing the sudden barking coughs that came from her mouth every few seconds. "Rose?"

"Fine," she rasped, after another few coughs had escaped her. She cleared her throat determinedly and looked at the Doctor. "What were you sayin'?" She sat on her bed, and tried to refrain from the huge breath that wanted to leave her.

"Um, the TARDIS is all repaired. So, we're okay to go to that planet I told you about… if you want to."

"'Course I want to," she said, standing up with a steady, heavy breath.

"You sure?" His voice was laced with concern and uncertainty. "Are you having difficulty breathing?"

"No, I told you, I'm fine," Rose insisted.

"Why were you coughing then?"

"It was nothin' really, I'm fine, I just –" Rose began, but before she could continue another harboured avalanche of rasping coughs escaped her throat.

The Doctor was by her side in seconds, his arm around her shoulders as her hand shot to her mouth. "You don't seem fine," he whispered, leading her to sit on the bed. He sat next to her and rubbed her back, concern written all over his face, as he waited for Rose's coughing to subdue.

She stopped, and took an achingly long breath, before looking up at the Doctor. She gave him a quivering smile. "Sorry," she whispered so quietly, he wasn't sure he had heard.

"What?"

"Sorry," she repeated.

"What for?" the Doctor frowned. She shrugged, and he gave a heavy sigh, "There's nothing to be sorry for. What were doing when this started?" he added.

"I was in the library, gonna read a book, but it was bit… dusty, I guess," Rose muttered, before clearing her throat for what felt like the millionth time.

The Doctor nodded, "Yes, the dust would have triggered it that time." He stood up, "Okay, well you look tiered, how's about you get some sleep, and we wait for your breathing to ease and then maybe go to Harpeni Irosi bit later."

Rose gave a heavy frown, staring at him. His tone had been something similar to a doctor prescribing some medication, and despite the irony of his title fitting that position well she was _not_ about to feel patronised by him. "No," she insisted. "We can go now. I'm fine."

"Rose –"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted. "You know you don't wanna be stuck in here just as much as me. That Harpen whatsit is only a tourist place anyway – you said so yourself – nothing to run from. We'll be fine."

"Harpeni Irosi," the Doctor corrected, to which Rose rolled her eyes to, "the Harpen whatsit is a place you _don't_ want to visit – believe me." He then continued, "And okay, if you're sure you're okay now, then fine, we'll go."

Rose grinned at him, and stood up immediately. "Great, c'mon then, lets see the big tourist destination."

She was off out the door, and the Doctor watched her retreating back for a moment before following. Why was it he had a very bad feeling in stomach, like something was going to happen… something bad? He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but, whatever it was, unfortunately he didn't think was indigestion.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor who. _

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The heat was the first thing to hit Rose as she left the TARDIS. There was only one sun in the sky, unlike other planets she'd visited, but it was larger than most, burning a reddish orange glow around it. They had arrived in a large market place packed with people and aliens alike. The place was alive with laughter and talk; a light playful atmosphere was in the air. Everyone in the market was different; there were aliens Rose had never seen before; one eyed, two headed creatures; creatures matted in fur; creatures so small they had to be carried by others. It was all so alive, so busy. The smells of foods and aromas she had never smelt before. It was so very alien, but, as always, rather breathtaking.

"Wow," Rose breathed, looking around at the crowds of milling aliens walking around the stalls. The sun burned high above, setting a purple glow about the whole sky.

"Pretty good, eh?" the Doctor stepped out beside her. He grabbed her hand and added brightly, "C'mon, time to relax I think." He led her away from the alien market place down a narrow path.

"Where are we goin'?" Rose asked, a little disappointed they were walking away from the busy market.

"The beach," the Doctor replied enthusiastically. "I haven't been there in _ages_ , and it's arguably the best place of the whole planet! And I know _you_ 'll definitely love it!"

Brightened by the prospect of catching a sun tan, Rose happily followed as the Doctor led her down a cobbled road, with large purple buildings at either side. It was quieter than the market at where they'd parked the TARDIS, with no one around. Only one lone figure was walking along the street, toward them.

On first inspection he appeared human, but besides his rough dark hair, normal human figure, and crumpled, but regular, T-Shirt and jeans, his facial features told a different story. The place where his nose was supposed to be was where two small holes were, and they were shining, almost as if light was radiating from them. His eyes were amber, and his mouth not in centre, but on the side of his head.

He smiled at the both of them, and they smiled politely back, intending to go on there way, before he stopped them by grabbing the Doctor's free wrist, almost urgently. The strange creature smiled, almost crookedly at the Doctor, he glanced at Rose and gave an odd smirk that the Doctor didn't like at all, before turning back to him. "Have a good day won't you, sir," he murmured, almost sarcastically, in a strange tongue that the TARDIS translated. His eyes glowed a sudden dangerous red, and the Doctor stared at him, brow furred, then his hand was freed from the clasp and the strange alien backed away, walking off as if nothing had happened.

"What was that about?" asked Rose, frowning.

"No idea," the Doctor admitted.

"Probably nothin'," Rose decided. "Bet you get all kinds of creatures here, some bound to be odd, right? Maybe that was just how they greet people, yeah?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said with a confidence he didn't feel. They walked on, with him still wondering what that little meeting had been about. He had not liked the way that creature had looked at Rose at all. Nor the way it had spoken – even if it was that one sentence – with such a knowing air to it.

They soon came onto a clearing of sand, and beyond it a quiet blue sea. They were alone, and although there was little sand, the sea stood out wide, the waves crashing against nearby cliffs, the view was beautiful. The blue sea touched the purple sky at the horizon, giving a violet mass of colour, and with the red sun hanging just above the horizon the colour was phenomenal. Rose slipped off her shoes, staring out at the sight in awe. "That's beau'iful!" She looked at the Doctor. "Why's no one else here though? Thought you said this was a tourist place?"

"It is," he said. "Didn't you see all that life at the market? This isn't one of the tourist spots actually. Nothing on except a gorgeous view… no one to sell or take money, so no tourists. Just us," he grinned. "I thought we didn't really need all those people milling about. This is quieter," _And safer_ , he thought, but failed to add. "And like I told you, I'm really only looking for a quiet life."

Rose laughed at that, as the Doctor took off his long coat and laid it down on the sand, before sitting on it, and motioning Rose to join him. She did so, still staring out at the wide ocean, as the sun batted down on them.

The Doctor's eyes shot to her suddenly, and looked concerned, "Do you have your inhaler… just in case?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Yes. In my pocket." She saw his posture relax slightly; he laid back on his coat, and blinked up at the bright purple sky. She stared at him for several moments before she next spoke, "It'll go, right?"

He turned to meet her gaze, questioningly, confused.

"You said the asthma was just a reaction to that planet, so it'll go soon, yeah?"

The Doctor stared at her hopeful face. He so badly wanted to lie, just to keep that face intact, but he knew he couldn't. "I don't know," he admitted. "It might or might not. I don't know enough about the planet, so I just don't know."

Rose down at the sand sadly, "Right." Then her eyes suddenly shot back up to him, as a thought hit her – one so simple, she thought them both stupid not for her or the Doctor to have thought it sooner. "But if it stays, you can take it away! The future's bound to have a cure for asthma, isn't it? You can take me there! You can cure it!"

The Doctor's brow furred, "It's not that simple Rose."

"Why?" Rose was insistent. Determined.

The Doctor's frown deepened, as if thinking of how best to explain it. " Well, it's like I've said before; the battle between illness and medicine is an ongoing war. And you can never truly beat something."

"There isn't a cure?" Rose looked crestfallen, and surprised.

"Depends what you mean by cure, I mean there's plenty of new medication to weaken asthma, certainly – I only gave you that inhaler because it's from your time and might seem more familiar to you – well… and because it was easiest to get from med-bay… I was more concerned about getting medication to you quickly I suppose," he rambled. "Anyway, diseases change… they do have a cure for asthma in the future, but…"

"What?" Rose persisted.

"But it's not meant for you…" he trailed off, watching her. "And giving you the medication, when it's not really meant for your time – your type of it – might…"

Rose nodded; but he knew she didn't really understand.

He sighed. "I just don't want to do more damage than I've already done."

"What are you talkin' about? None of this is your fault!"

The Doctor didn't say anything. He didn't need to; the look he gave her was enough. The guilt was written all over his face. Rose stared at him sadly; he truly believed he was responsible. She scotched closer to him, pacing her hand on his arm. "Doctor, it _wasn't_ your fault," she said, somehow managing to be gentle, but firm.

He nodded gratefully and she smiled, before looking back out at the sea. She stood up suddenly, a grin on her face. "I'm going swimmin'," she announced.

He leaned back bemused, as Rose took off her jeans and stood in short sleeved top and pants. "You'll be soaked," he told her. "We've no towels you know. And you are _not_ drying yourself on my coat."

He brought his long coat over himself almost protectively, and Rose rolled her eyes. "The sun can dry me off," she said dismissively, and with that she turned and trotted off toward the sea.

The Doctor watched, smiling, as she reached the sea, at first, only stepping in lightly, for fear of it being cold, but then almost jumping into the waters when she realised that that ocean was warmer than she was used to.

Leaning back onto his coat, the Doctor gave a small sigh. That feeling from before… maybe it had been wrong. Everything felt okay now. No one was there, but that was okay, no one there to hurt them. It was just he and Rose. He closed his eyes, a little tired, not that he would sleep… that would be dangerous… no, he just closed his eyes, feeling the sun heating his eyelids and seeing violet flicker in front of them...

He lifted up his head then, scratching his eyes tiredly; he couldn't drop off. His eyes found the sea again, expecting to see Rose running across the waves, or doing a handstand in the water. But he didn't.

She wasn't there.

His eyes widened in panic, and he desperately searched the sea of water for her form, but she wasn't there; it was as if she had just disappeared. He stood up, his eyes scanning the whole beach for a sign of her. Had he nodded off without realising? Had she gone, headed off for an ice cream? Or back to the TARDIS perhaps?

"Rose!" he called out. Wild thoughts ran through his head at lightning speed, thoughts he didn't want to contemplate, but that wouldn't leave him alone. He turned on the spot, calling her name and scanning the beach frantically for her. There was that feeling again… something was very, very wrong.

Then he saw her. But relief didn't flood him, instead the opposite. Rose was in the sea, very far out. He could see her blond head bobbing about, far out in the deep waters. If he strained his ears he could even hear her calling his name faintly. Without thinking, he was sprinting down the beach and into the water in a heartbeat. His arms stroked the water easily as he swam as fast as he could toward her, seeing her yellow head above the waves and hearing her call out to him… scared and calling him.

He swam frenziedly towards her, hoping he'd be there before that feeling he'd had took Rose as its victim.

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_Nice cliffhanger to leave you on for a while, as I won't be updating for a week. I'm going on holiday, sorry. Reviews are love though. _


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not, have not, and will never, own Doctor Who._

_Apologies… it's been a week. I had my holiday; it was pretty good. But I'm back at college on Wednesday so updates still won't be as often as I'd like, but they'll come when they come. _

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The Doctor's vision was a little blurred by the water; his head bounced from one way to the other as he swam further out. Hearts racing in rhythm, his arms thrashed in and out of the water smoothly. His head lifted to seek his target in the giant sea, eyes searching for Rose. But her blonde head seemed to have disappeared. His brow furred in confusion, and he scanned his eyes over the horizon to no avail. She was gone.

His swimming slowed as he looked out at the thrashing waves. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud that had apparently come from nowhere. The sea had turned fiercer, and waves lifted him higher in levitating jumps. He looked over them though; searching for the yellow head that he had been sure was among them.

"_Rose!_ " he screamed into the ocean air. "_**Rose!!** _ " Louder now; terrified and desperate.

No reply came back to him.

His eyes were hot and wet, but that had nothing to do with the ocean water. His legs kicked in the water, trying to stay afloat. He called her name, over and over, panic creeping through his entire body. Had the tide taken her out further? Had he imagined her being out here? He had been so **sure** she was there… drowning. He took a deep breath and ducked his head under the water, his eyes stayed open, stinging but hunting the ocean depths. All he saw was clear water, and pink sand.

His head broke the water, as he popped back up, breathing in the salty air as he looked toward the beach wildly. He stared; there was a figure on the beach, standing alone and looking at him. He knew that she was watching him, even though the beach was so far away now. Without thinking he swam quickly towards them, knowing it was Rose. His swimming was quick, though not as quick as when he had been swimming the other way, toward the open sea.

In little time though he reached the beach. But when he reached it, Rose was no longer standing, waiting for him; her form was laid on the floor, eyes closed, mouth parted. She hadn't appeared to be breathing. He sprinted to her, "Rose!"

Then, in the blink of an eye, she had disappeared. He stopped, staring at the place she had been laying a second ago. His eyes moved up to the sky; the sun had disappeared completely, and heavy grey clouds were hanging over the now dreary beach. A distant thunder was striking his ears, and the roaring of the waves could be heard thrashing against the nearby cliffs.

The Doctor turned around… and Rose was centimetres from him. Standing right in front of him, her face was contorted in horror, her eyes wide, and her mouth open… with no breath coming out. She fell to her knees, as he cried out her name, falling beside her. Her hands went to her chest, but still no air went in or out of her mouth; it was closed off, an invisible barrier in her windpipe. She opened her mouth wider and looked up at him, big brown eyes calling out to him in terror, clinging onto his hand she gasped out desperately, "You have to… _save me!_ "

With that, she collapsed backwards, her head falling back against the sand. Her eyes open with nothing there, as if a light had been switched off. She was dead.

--

The Doctor's eyes shot open. He was lying on his back on the beach, the coat separating him from the sand. Rose's face was inches from his, but unlike moments before it was laced with concern, and slight fear, rather than utter terror. Her hair was wet and dripping onto the sand as she pulled back from him when his eyes were on her.

His hand went to his forehead, and the Timelord found clammy wetness streaking his face. His breathing was faster than he was used to, and the sun seemed to be shining down on them harder than ever.

"Doctor?" Rose placed her hand on his chest. "You okay?" She bit her lip, and hesitated for a moment, before continuing, "You were dreamin'."

He stared at her for a moment, eyes wide, then quite suddenly flung his arms around her neck, breathing her scent in heavily. Putting his chin onto her shoulder and closing his eyes for a moment as he hugged her tight.

"Doctor?" Rose sounded quite alarmed by this sudden motion.

"Sorry," he murmured, pulling back from her. He gave a gentle breath, staring at her. It was okay, he told himself over and over; she was right there in front of him, she was safe. It had been a dream; a stupid nightmare. He swallowed, as she gave him a long questioningly look. "It just seemed very… real, is all," he amended.

Rose watched him carefully, concerned and curious. He looked steadily back at her for a moment. Her dripping hair was hanging limp by her shoulders; her mascara had run – to the thanks of the seawater – and was making tracks down her face; her t-shirt clung tightly to her chest; and her jeans were back on, damp and with the knees covered in sand.

"What happened in it?" she asked quietly, a hand on his shoulder.

The Doctor continued to stare at her for a moment, his face impassive, before his gaze moved to the sky and he shrugged, standing suddenly. "Doesn't matter, just a dream. Shall we go now?" he asked briskly.

He picked up his coat and headed off down the beach, Rose just behind. "We're goin'?" She was clearly disappointed.

"Yep, must've been asleep for a while, wasn't I?"

Rose shrugged, "Not that long." Her head was slouched toward the floor as she followed him off the beach and back towards the city, lagging behind slightly.

A cloud had moved and covered the sun, casting a chill along the street and Rose shivered slightly. The Doctor looked back at her, seeing the droplets of water cling to her arms. Her lips shivered and her teeth chattered with the heat of the sun gone. He took his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, before putting an arm around her waist.

Rose looked up at him, surprised. "Thought I wasn't allowed your coat," she joked with a half smile. "It'll get all wet."

"I'm sure it'll survive the dampness," he replied softly, as they walked on, coming down a narrow cobbled street. He kept his arm around her securely as he asked lightly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Rose. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," the Doctor murmured in admittance, though it seemed to be more to himself than for her ears.

"Are _you_ okay?" Rose asked sceptically.

"Me? I'm fine; always am." He smiled at her.

Rose said nothing, but she could easily sense there was something he wasn't telling her.

After several long minutes of silence as they walked along the side street and towards the large tourist city, Rose looked questioningly in the direction they were headed, toward the market. She let a grin play her face. "Are we goin' shoppin'?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope," the Timelord said shortly.

"Oh," Rose's face fell slightly in disappointment. "To get that delicious ice cream sundae you were tellin' me they had then?"

"Nope."

"Where then? What tourist trap are you leadin' us into?" Her tone was light and joking.

His wasn't. "None."

Rose frowned; she wasn't used to his short, rather serious replies. Nor did she much like the answers he was giving her. "Where are we goin' then?" she asked, annoyed at the answer that she knew to be coming.

Sure enough… "The Tardis," he said in the same short tone.

"Why?"

He didn't reply.

"Doctor?" she pushed.

There was a long pause. "I don't like this place," he whispered finally.

"You said it was a harmless tourist destination," she reminded him.

"I was wrong," he murmured.

"Doctor," Rose began gently, frowning slightly as she tried to make sense of his actions. "This place… it seems fine. We've met no monsters who wanna kill us, not had to run for our lives. It seems harmless." She gestured around her, at the quiet street to emphasise her point. He said nothing, and she hesitated before adding, "This isn't anythin' to do with the asthma, is it?"

His features changed immediately, as his eyes whipped over to her, he stopped them both in the middle of the street. Whereas his face was impassive before, it was now clouded with concern and reproach. "No… not entirely," he said, his eyes boring into her attentively. Then his steady frown deepened, and he placed his hands on each of her arms, staring into her eyes. "You'd tell me though…" he began in a whisper. He paused for a moment, and her eyes were focused on his, her forehead creased into a frown above them. "If your asthma bothers you… even a little… you'd tell me?"

She nodded; struck dumb by the sudden closeness of his face to hers; deeply concerned by how scared he seemed. Because that's what she recognised him as now… afraid.

"Promise me Rose," the Doctor pleaded. "Promise me you'd tell me if it got… hard. I mean if your chest starts hurting, even a little. You tell me. Promise you will."

She nodded again, and when he didn't appear satisfied with that, she let out a hoarse whisper, "I promise."

He leaned back, and took his hands off of her arms with a satisfied nod. His mood changed instantly, and a false smile fell across his face. "Off to the Tardis then!" he declared, taking her hand and setting off down the cobbled street again. "Nothing to hurt us there."

Rose sighed; she still wasn't sure what it was that could hurt them here. But then, by the sounds of it, the Doctor wasn't very sure either, and that was probably one of the things that was scaring him the most.

* * *

_Reviews are defiantly much more than welcome – they're loved. _


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Doctor and Rose Tyler do not belong to me I am afraid.** _

* * *

_They walked quietly across the beach, hand in hand, the waves washed back and forth, touching their bare feet and warming them gently. The tranquil blue sea glistened from the beams of the beautiful hot sun above. Rose felt the Doctor squeeze her hand warmly, and turned to see him grinning at her. She beamed back._

"_Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, looking out at the crystal clear water._

"_It really is," she replied, following his gaze._

"No monsters here," he said with a small smile. "Peaceful… like this place should be."

_She grinned and leaned her head momentarily on his shoulder. "Makes a change for you. If there were monsters here you'd be savin' the day right 'bout now though." _

_He looked at her as she lifted her head to meet his eyes. She was surprised to find his face sombre, serious. "Rose, you know… I can't always be there."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I can't always be there to save you Rose."_

_She stared at him with a furred brow, not understanding. "What are you talkin' about?" _

_But suddenly he was staring out at the sea in shock. She turned, trying to see what he was staring at, but nothing was different. It was then she noticed the lack of anything in her hand, and realised the Doctor removed his hand from hers. She spun her head round to him, "Doctor, wha-?" _

_But he had gone. _

_There was nothing with Rose except the suddenly cold air. "Doctor?" she called out. _

_No reply. _

"_Doctor!" Her panic increased as huge clouds, setting dark shadows over the beach, suddenly covered the sun. The waves came more ferocious, swashing hard and menacingly against the beach._

_Then she saw him, his head bobbing in the sea, and she was just about to call him, call his name so he would come back, when her throat caught. She coughed and choked, and tried, tried so hard, to breathe in gently and deeply. But nothing happened. Her hands went to her throat in horror._

_Her windpipe would not suffice to let her breathe though. Her mouth opened and closed uselessly, desperate for breath. She fell to her knees, feeling herself become dizzy. She blinked and for a moment it all disappeared. The sea and sky became a hazy blur. She needed oxygen. She needed oxygen now!_

_There was a figure running towards her. The Doctor voice, beautiful as it was petrified, rang out to her. She tried to see, tried to fight the blackness consuming her. Feeling for his touch, she pleaded him. "You have to… save me!" she gasped._

_Then it all disappeared._

--

The Doctor put the sonic screwdriver in his mouth, keeping it between his teeth as he prodded the wires in his hands into the complex system of the Tardis. He was under the grating in the console room, working on the maintenance of the time machine and trying hard not to think. Of course, being a Time Lord – and a brilliant thinker to boot – not thinking was proving mighty difficult.

He didn't want to believe that his dream had been anymore than just that – a dream. But it was worrying him increasingly the more he gave up and thought about things. He had to keep reminding himself that Rose was alive and safe in her room, sleeping. Yet the look on her face before she collapsed, dead, right in front of him, continued to play over and over in his minds eye.

The oddest thing was that, normally, he didn't dream. He was a Timelord; he barely slept never mind dreamt. The dream had to mean something more, but what, he just couldn't decipher.

He suddenly stopped what he was doing and took the sonic from his mouth. Finally deciding to give in to what he needed to do settle his peace of mind, he pulled himself up from in the grating and walked quietly across the control room. He stepped quietly through the corridor, putting the sonic in his pocket as he did so and running his hand along the Tardis walls.

Coming to a halt at one of the doors, he hesitated slightly, keeping his ear to the door to check for any movement inside. When he sensed none, he pushed the door two, peeking through the gap to see into the room. The shadows danced as he opened the door a little wider and a little more light filled the room. In the corner was the bed in which Rose was sleeping.

The Doctor listened to her quiet breathing from the doorway for a minute, watched her chest gently rise and fall and her eyelids twitch as she dreamt. Its okay, said a voice in his head told him, your hearts can go back to pulsing normally again – she's still alive. He sighed; he'd done a similar thing last night when she'd first developed the asthma the day before, just checked up on her, see if she was breathing alright. Of course, he'd never tell her that. Sweet Rassilon, what would she think of him?

He shook his head in annoyance with himself for been so worried nothing, and turned around. He was just about to head back to the control room, when small audible moan came from behind him. He looked back at her, lying in the bed. She was twitching in her sleep, groaning something softly. She was having a nightmare.

He walked quietly over to the side of the bed, noticing the heavy frown on her face as she squirmed in her quilt. The Doctor placed his hand to her forehead, and with his other he entwined his hand in hers. "Its okay," he whispered gently. "Rose, I'm here."

"You have to," he heard her murmur, eyes tight shut, then she became more frantic and called louder, "Save me!"

"Rose, I'm here, I'm here," he said, squeezing her hand tighter, horrified at the familiarity of those words.

Her eyes shot open and she screamed.

He put arms around her quickly, "Shh," he whispered. "It's okay, it was just a dream. I'm right here. I'm here."

"Doctor?" he heard her croak. She pulled back from him and looked at him through watery eyes. Her lips were quivering, and her breathing was heavy and erratic. She swallowed hard and clenched her fists, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She gave a heavy breath a small nod. "Sorry," she whispered hoarsely.

"No, not sorry," he said with a frown. He stroked her hair and watched her face. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, failing to find voice. Her thoughts still seemed to be consumed by the dream; she stared without seeing at the carpet.

"Rose?" He sat on the bed and put his arms around her shoulder. His eyes then fell on the inhaler on her bedside table and he picked it up and showed it to her. "Need this?"

Her breathing was shallow and heavy. "Okay," she said, swallowing before she took it from him. He watched as she inhaled the medicine deeply before handing it back, somehow finding it in her to smile at him slightly. "Thanks," she muttered softly. She shook her head, "Sorry, I was bein' bit stupid. It was just a dream."

"What was it about?" he asked quietly.

She put her head down on the pillow and brought her quilt up to her neck, staring at the ceiling as the Doctor ran his hand soothingly up and down her arm. "Just…" she frowned slightly. "We was on the beach…"

The Doctor felt his muscles tense. "The beach?" he heard himself say.

"Yeah, it was okay at first, we were just talkin', but then you were… you weren't there. You'd gone an' then it went darker… suddenly my chest… it hurt so much," she shook her head, still frowning at the ceiling, seeing it all so clearly in her minds eye. "It was so hard… to breath. I could feel it, it hurt so much, and I was so scared…

"I was tryin' to call your name. And then I saw you, out at sea… I was scared, and I fell down. You was swimmin' back, and when you got to the beach, you ran towards me but… you were far away, you were disappearin'… you were _so_ far away." She looked up at him tearful, "Then I realised… I was the one disappearin'… I was dying," she whispered softly.

Her head shook and she stared at him intensely, "And then I was dead."

The Doctor stared at her, his face a mask of fear and concern, "Rose," he said, leaning in closer. His eyes bore into her and he hesitated before speaking gently, "It was a dream Rose, just a dream. You're… you're going to be fine. I promise you I will always do everything in my power to make sure you are _always_ fine."

She gave a shaky smile, and leaned forward to wrap her hands around him, giving him a ferocious hug, which he returned tightly. "Thanks, an' I'm sorry for botherin' you," she muttered to his ear.

"No bother, Rose," he murmured back.

She frowned suddenly, pulling back from the hug. "What were you doin' in here anyway? I thought you were in the console room," she enquired.

"I was," he replied. "But I was just passing, and I heard you calling in your sleep..." He tugged on his ear, choosing to talk to her shoulder.

"Oh, okay."

The Doctor cupped her cheek in his hand, looking at the dark circles under her eyes. He smiled gently at her. "You still look tired," he told her. "Time to go back to sleep I think."

She nodded, and he took his hand away, standing up. "Um, Doctor?" Rose bit her lip hesitantly, and he stayed where he was.

"Yes?"

"Could you…" she hesitated. "Could you stay with me?"

He smiled at her and sat in the chair by her bed. "Of course, Rose."

"Thanks." She smiled back at him and rolled onto her side, closing her eyes, "Night, Doctor."

"Night Rose," he whispered back through the loom.

He watched as her face fell still and calm, eyes still closed, and gently he stroked his hand across her forehead, moving her blond fringe out of her eyes. She smiled at the contact, as it soothed her tenderly. He watched her; as her chest rose and fell in rhythm, and her breathing became slightly heavier as she slept.

This time he didn't even bother to try and not think about it.

She had had the same dream. He knew she had… the same dream, a different perspective. She had dreamt she died in front of him, just like he had. He could no longer kid himself that this wasn't serious, that this didn't mean anything. He was sure it meant something, but he didn't know what. And, if he was honest, he was truly terrified of the answer.

_Reviews are welcomed very much so, as usual._


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